“Brockmire” debuts Wednesday night on IFC — and viewers should get used to the Hank Azaria series sticking around for a while.
That’s because IFC has renewed “Brockmire” for Season 2, which will air eight half-hour episodes in 2018. The sitcom, which also stars Amanda Peet and Tyrel Jackson Williams, was created with Funny Or Die.
“Brockmire” follows Jim Brockmire (Azaria), a famed major league baseball announcer who suffered a notorious public breakdown after stumbling upon his wife’s infidelity; a breakdown so bad in fact that “Brutal Brockmire” becomes a viral internet meme. The series picks up a decade later as Brockmire looks to reclaim his career, reputation, and love life.
“Brockmire” is written by Joel Church-Cooper, directed by Tim Kirkby, and executive produced by Azaria, Church-Cooper, Kirkby and Funny Or Die’s Mike Farah, Joe Farrell and Anna Wenger.
“We love everything about ‘Brockmire’ — from the writing, to the cast, to all the sports puns we get to use,” said Jennifer Caserta, president of IFC. “The show has already gotten an amazing reception from fans and critics alike, and we are thrilled to be ‘keeping it ‘Brockmire’ with our partners at Funny or Die and Hank Azaria for another season on IFC.”
“This show is the most fun I’ve ever had. Well, the most fun I’ve ever had while working, anyway,” Azaria added. “It is truly my favorite thing I’ve ever done. Well, while being filmed, that is. Thanks to IFC for letting us do whatever we wanted to. Well, mostly.”
“Brockmire” originally appeared as a Funny Or Die (FOD) short. IFC parent company AMC Networks recently purchased a minority stake in FOD — this is their first major collaboration since the investment.
The series debuts tonight at 10 p.m. on IFC, with two back-to-back episodes.